


Heartened Skull

by purplefox



Series: The Daybreakers 2020 [4]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Daybreakers 2020, Established Relationship, F/M, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23011525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplefox/pseuds/purplefox
Summary: Love brings him forward. It brings Ryuji to the point he wishes he could bring his younger forward and show him this.Week one- Origins- Ryuji
Relationships: Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Series: The Daybreakers 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652734
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	Heartened Skull

“And you’re positive your mom doesn’t mind me being here when she’s gone?” Ann whispered as she hugged his pillow to his chest. Ryuji rolled his eyes as he heard the front door firmly click closed. “Ryuji.” She hissed and he watched her hair tumble about before he shook his head at her.

“Mind that you’re here?” He scoffed. His mother was over the moon. She had been so excited to see Ann and the way she had smiled and laughed- she had been smiling and laughing at him for a while now. Ever since he had become a phantom thief. Not that she knew that part. “She doesn’t mind you staying. It’s the going that’s going to bug her.” He tossed Ann the small bag of snacks she had forgotten on the counter. “She likes you.”

“That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t mind.” Ann scoffed before she let the pillow go. Ryuji watched her flop back onto his bed before she rearranged herself. “I thought you would have walked her to the station.”

“I thought so too.” But his mom was so excited about Ann being over she had shooed him away when he had tried to do the normal things for her. She hadn’t even nagged him about the laundry. Ryuji was going to do it anyway. He hadn’t let his mom do the laundry on her own since he was a kid. He had always gone down with her to help with the load. “She doesn’t mind. She likes you.” He felt warmth in his chest. “I like you too.”

“I would hope.” She tossed the plushie he kept on his bed at him. Ryuji scooped it out of the air before he returned to with an overhead throw. It bounced on Ann’s head and then his pillow and he laughed. “I would hope you liked me.” She teased before she rolled over. “It’s nice… this.”

“Yeah.” He picked up a bag of chips before he sat next to his bed. He pressed against it and sighed at the feeling of Ann’s fingers in his hair. “This is good.”

“Ever thought we would be here? Like this?” Her soft voice made him take it seriously and he tipped his head back as he thought about it. He had to sigh and shake his head because as much as he had liked Ann. As much as he had enjoyed looking at her and talking to her in middle school what they had now he had never thought that he would have this with her.

“Nah I mean… I wasn’t looking for this for one.” Ryuji laughed. “And then you know.” He shrugged. “Didn’t think I could have it. We weren’t that close back in middle school. I had a lot on me. Then we came to Shujin and we had even more on us then Akira-“ Damn good Joker. “I guess no matter what I couldn’t see it. Now I’m just glad that we happen to have it.”

“Me too” She said softly. Her fingers gently touched his chin before she sighed. “It was Shiho and keeping my head up and Shiho and then- I used to watch you sometimes. Not the races. Everyone watched that but training? I used to catch you sometimes. You would be at it until dark and I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand but I used to watch. Then Shujin.”

“And Akira.” Because Ryuji refused to speak that man’s name into existence in his bedroom. “A lot of stuff happened to us. If I were to see my younger self now.” His younger self wouldn’t believe a word he had to say. “I’d try and give him some encouragement. Tell him some people are on their way really soon.” Because it was more than this. They were the phantom thieves and he was glad he met them. “Tell him falling in love is nice.” He touched Ann’s wrist before he captured it and kissed her wrist softly. “That mom’s going to be over the moon.”

“She is from this?” Ann laughed softly. “It’s nice that she’s so happy. You look just like her.” Ryuji tipped back his head and smiled. “You like hearing that?”

“Love my mom so… yeah.” He shrugged. “We’ve both come a long way. Things weren’t so easy back then and… well it’s not exactly perfect but it’s better.” Ann’s fingers on his skin made him sigh. “We’re a long way away from where we were.”

“Us too.” Ann said softly. “And come up here. This hard bed is lonely with just me.”

“That hard bed.” Ryuji mocked as he got to his feet. “Keeps my back in good condition. You wouldn’t get it Miss sweets and comfort.”

“What’s wrong with sweets?” She muttered as she tugged him down. “I like sweets.”

“I know.” Ryuji laughed. “And I like that you like sweets.”

X

“I like whatever soap you use.” Ryuji mumbled into Ann’s nape as they cuddled together. they weren’t doing anything else. Just lying down there. He had enough shame and manners not to try anything when his mom was just a room away sleeping. “Joker message you back yet?”

“Yeah we were exchanging Morgana pictures but he was waiting on Yusuke.” Ann yawned. “Okay he says that if we’re up for it we can have a meeting first thing. When he and Morgana were at his part time job-“

“Which one and why does he always bring Morgana along.” Ryuji groaned before he laughed. “Leader’s a case and a half.” He hugged Ann tighter around her waist before he sighed into her nape. “Go on though.”

“The one at the flower shop. He said that he did some poking around and he might have another job for us.” Ann said softly. “We’re just waiting to see if Yusuke can make the early morning meeting. He had something to do.”

“I wonder if we can make the early morning meeting with traffic and all.” Ryuji grumbled. “Morning rush… we won’t get anywhere for at least an hour.”

“We can catch the bus?” Ann yawned before she stretched. “Whatever we do… we should get up.”

“But I don’t want to… don’t feel like it… we should ditch.” Ryuji laughed before he got up. “Slide me my phone… Akira would come here or my mom would kick us both out if I tried to stand him up.”

“I would kick you too.” Ann stretched. “Let’s get going… The metaverse is waiting for us.”

“I didn’t know it went somewhere in order for us to be waited on.” Ryuji joked. Ann hit him with the pillow so he rolled her off the bed. “Haha.” He chuckled. “Wait!” He protested when she leapt up. “Don’t kill me!”

“Ugh.” She muttered before she dropped a kiss on his cheek. “Just get up already.”

X

Footing was very important to a runner but they were not perfect. The wrong stance or even move and they were going to have troubles. For Ryuji he winced as the shadow bore down on him. He had swept in to get Akira out of the way but it looked as though he was going to hold a serious whack in return. Totally worth it if he got to protect Joker though.

The feeling of something on his waist made him jerk just before he went flying through the air. The air was knocked out of him and he was left gaping at Ann as she gave him a laugh and her whip released him. “Uh… could you always do that?” He tried to stand and wobbled. He had just been yanked a good few feet. Amazing. “Thanks Panther.”

“No I couldn’t.” She eyed her whip for a few moments before she turned to where Yusuke had just slashed the shadow that had charged Akira. Morgana blasted back another and Ryuji forced himself to his feet. “Just felt as if I could just now.” Her hands pressed to his back and he smiled. “Let me heal you Skull.”

“You always do.” He watched Akira slash one shadow before his persona blasted a curse at them. “Get me back in the game Panther.” He teased. Warmth spread over him and he sighed. “I’m glad I met you. All of them too.” He watched Yusuke send ice towards the shadows that had tried to make Morgana back up. “I’m glad for them too but I’m glad I fell for you.”

“Me too.” Ann clapped him on the back. “I had watched you for a while but it’s only now that my heart feels like this. We’ve run hard. We’ve worked hard Skull. It’s hard to think back to the past us but when I think about what we’re protecting?” Her hands hugged him tightly. Ryuji savoured the warmth she gave before she pushed him away. “You’re strong and you’ll only get stronger. Standing up for people wronged is what you do.”

“Is that so.” Ryuji smiled as he stretched. “In that case… let me go save our people because these shadows are unfairing them all.” Ann’s laughter followed him as he jumped back into the fray. He laughed when he kicked a shadow away from Akira and followed it with a whack on the head. He bet his past self that had hurt and cried when alone wouldn’t have been able to dream of this.

He wished he could show his younger self that laughter and freedom was on the way. Ryuji bonked another shadow before he zapped two more. Run hard, protect what you had hold it close and laugh. Laugh because being a thief meant to be free. Then there was Ann and what she gave him… he glanced back to where she had set fire to her whip. Ann gave him love.


End file.
